Mosque Molotov cocktail thrower faces terrorism charges

The 33-year-old man arrested for throwing a Molotov cocktail at a mosque in Enschede on Saturday evening may face charges of terrorism, the public prosecution department says.

The aim of the act was to frighten people inside the mosque and that means the man had terrorist intentions, the department said in a statement.

The man has been remanded in custody for 14 days while the investigation continues.

There were dozens of people inside the mosque at the time, including children, police said. The suspect is from Enschede, a town in Overijssel on the German border, and police said they have not ruled out further arrests.

Last November six people were arrested for using Nazi salutes, insulting behaviour and physical attacks during an anti-refugee demonstration in Enschede. Later that month 12 pigs’ heads were dumped at a field near the town which had been earmarked as a new asylum seekers’ reception centre.

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